🎨 The “Base → Contrast → Look” workflow
If you skip steps, your footage breaks. If you master this, everything levels up. 1️⃣ Normalize first (the boring but critical part) Before touching any LUT or creative look: - Fix exposure - Balance white balance - Set clean contrast - Neutralize skin tones Use: - Primaries (Lift / Gamma / Gain) - Scopes (Waveform + Vectorscope) - Temperature & Tint This step alone can make your footage look 2× more professional. 2️⃣ Build contrast with intention Cinematic images are rarely flat but they’re also not crushed. Focus on: - Slightly lifted blacks - Controlled highlights - Midtone separation Think depth, not “Instagram contrast.” 3️⃣ Add a simple look (not chaos) One of the biggest beginner mistakes: stacking effects. Instead: - Push shadows slightly cool - Push highlights slightly warm - Add subtle saturation (never global overkill) - Use one clean node for your “look” This creates that film-like separation the eye loves. 🎯 THIS WEEK’S CHALLENGE (Creators HQ) The “One Clip Cinematic Grade” challenge Your task: - Take ONE clip - Grade it properly using the workflow above - No LUT packs - No shortcuts - Just clean fundamentals Post: ✅ Before -> After ✅ What you changed ✅ What you struggled with This isn’t about perfection. It's about building real skill you can repeat forever. Every serious creator eventually realizes this: 👉 Editing isn’t magic. It’s decision-making. Put the reps in this week. Study your own footage. Train your eye. Let’s see who actually sharpens their craft 🎬🔥